Trial Information

The Role of Endogenous Antiangiogenic Factors in Gastric Cancer Progression

Gastric cancers have been known to secrete the proangiogenic cytokine VEGF in vitro and in
vivo. Tumor VEGF expression is correlated with the severity of disease in patients with
gastric cancer and some authors have suggested using circulating VEGF as a prognostic factor
or tumor marker.In addition to producing proangiogenic cytokines, recent data demonstrate
that tumors can produce antiangiogenic cytokine as well. It has been suggested that, in
humans, the generation of antiangiogenic compounds in the presence of a primary tumor
suppresses the growth of distant metastases. This phenomenon has been demonstrated in mice
and in patients with clear cell renal cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. However,
the presence of endogenous antiangiogenic cytokines in patients with gastric cancer has not
been reported.